As the group wandered closer, the more perceptive members could hear cries of aggression and the echoes of gunfire.
Morgan, being more perceptive than most, drew her sniper and peered at the town through the scope.
"Balls..."
"Is the town under attack?" He asked, already making assumptions.
Garry also took a look but he didn't have the scope, he couldn't tell what was going on...
"Yeah, looks like raiders..." Morgan muttered, lowering the rifle with a quiet sigh. "Fucking typical..."
"Set up a sniping position here." He instructed Morgan, relieving her of his pistol.
"Garry will set up a position 30 metres closer and 50 metres east. I will advance on the town and clear it of hostiles."
"We'll have to find another way through then..." Garry uttered, not wanting to have to deal with this, it was the village's problem.
"We need the town to get the tomatoes or whatever, for the boat, Garry." Morgan reminded him, though she secretly agreed. Again, she pulled up her M40. "There are quite a lot. You better stay with me kid, just in case..."
"I got my rifle or my shotgun, I can work with both..." The Former slaver grumbled, seriously not liking it.
"You have no body armour. A live fire situation is not safe for you." Rook informed Garry.
"I think that three snipers is kinda over doin' it, besides there's plenty of cover and I don't plan on gettin' shot." The former slaver pointed out.
"I ain't complained about shit..." Garry protested, in truth he hadn't.
"You're complaining now..." Morgan retorted quietly as she continued to examine the town.
"Stay on my six." Rook simply said, before heading down towards the town.
Garrys hope to God proved to be fruitful. It was indeed a new gang of raiders. And from what he could see, there were no dogs, no stealth suits or any of that shit. They ran through the town, several carrying Flamers to set the people aflame...
Their obvious leader stood a way from Fresh Grove. From this distance, she appeared to be sitting down, content to view proceedings from afar...
Rook drew his shotgun and raised it at the first raider that walked into his range, blasting the malcontent down. He fired pistols rounds into a second a few feet away over his arm, barely even looking.
Garry raised his hunting rifle and aimed at the gas tank on the back of the nearest flamer wielding raider, firing at it, aiming to blow it up on impact.
The Raider exploded in an amazing fiery spectacle that also caused another Raider to be set aflame. The Raiders who saw the two killed by Rook turned and signalled to their leader before turning and focusing their fire and their Flamers on him.
The Leader pointed to Fresh Grove and she soon began moving towards it.
Still sat down!
Garry continued to move in, behind Rook, ducking down behind a piece of debris that he used as cover, whilst trying to get a better look.
Rook, who did not want to get cooked, took cover, throwing himself through the wall of a house. As the building quickly caught fire, Rook sprinted through it, bursting through the wooden wall to the outdoors. Once outside again, he circled around to the backs of the raiders, who still thought he was inside the burning building.
A shot rang out, and a raiders head exploded. That was one down courtesy of Morgan. She nodded to herself up on her hill.
The others continued to burn the building stupidly.
Garry carefully moved around, from behind cover and took a shot at his own, aiming for another Raider's fuel tank.
Rook circle around to the back of a raider, the one who was furthest back in the group. From behind he seized the raider's arms and manipulated the raider's flamer, blasting the rest of the raiders with one of their own weapons.
Screams erupted from the Raiders set on fire. The surviving members turned, fleeing back in the direction of the woman who lead them.
"Ya fucked now, Robot!" One screeched on his way out the village. "Sarah will get ya good! Fuck you!"
Garry shot up and took aim at one of the fleeing raiders, taking a shot at one of them as they fled.
Raiders don't surrender, any surrender is a feign to buy more time.
Time is what they needed. A few slipped away and the rest were all gunned down. Morgan managed to kill another before they reached this Sarah...
They had but a few minutes left to regroup...
Rook began tearing flamers from raiders' backs and strategically placing their tanks in places near the village's mouth, out of sight.
"Gosh, Rook. You're so smart..." Morgan said to herself, eyeing his behind in her scope. "We should definitely try...one day..." She sighed happily to herself...
"S-sir! They have an Android! It has to be the one from Broadway!"
'Sir' Sarah nodded; her legs crossed on her perch. "I wonder how much of a bounty is on his head down south...We gotta play this smart. A few of you grab the sniper. I'll go into the camp with the rest..."
Rook rolled a boulder into the middle of the road and took cover behind it.
With their plan set, the ten remaining Raiders and Sir Sarah set off. Three branched off and headed around to Morgan while the rest looped round to enter Fresh Grove from behind.
Sarah trailed along slowly, waiting to make her move with her secret weapon...
When the raiders started to enter the town, Rook began detonating his explosives without mercy.
Garry decided to conserve his ammo as Rook and Martin were seemingly clearing house on their own, the second that Sarah reared her head, the Wastelander would take his shot...
The Raiders grumbled and ducked behind cover to get away from the insane android and drug addicts.
Sarah slowly advanced on camp as she was almost there...
Morgan looked out the scope, concern on her face as she saw everything from her perch up above.
If they'd just stay still, this'd be easier...
Once all his bombs were detonated, and the majority of the raiders were dead, he switched to his pistol. The torsos of raiders exploded in a blood as a large 12.7mm round connected with them.
"Miss, you better get moving nicely. Drop the M40..."
Morgan spun and glared, refusing to drop the weapon.
"I mean it, Miss..."
As he spoke, a huge chunk of his head exploded into a bloody red mist as a pistol round was fired at it. He collapsed to reveal Gabriel, stood behind him, weapon still aiming a scavenged beretta at Morgan's direction, gripped tightly in trembling hands.
A.R.C.
"This is Aj aR Cea, the only shit worth listening to in the Empire wasteland." Maxwell said dryly. "Coming up next, a Duane Eddy rockabilly classic; no doubt about the state of most roads 'round the country. It's Forty Miles of Bad Road "
The smarter Raiders dived for cover, cowering behind buildings, trees, rocks, anything they could find...
Rook advanced forward, cranking his shotgun. He didn't bother with cover, daring any raider to take a shot at him.
He'd blow their head off.
Garry hung back, waiting for this 'Sarah' to appear, he'd have the element of surprise and the drop on her.
Sarah stood up on her mount, peering out over the walls. She had a telescope which she used to view the slaughter of three of her most loyal Raiders at the hands of a an abomination.
Doomed...
She let out a low whistle to signal retreat, and the Raiders in Fresh Grove began to cautiously back away, their weapons holstered.
Rook watched as the raiders retreated. Killing them now would serve no purpose, and only waste ammunition. He holstered his firearms and went in search of Morgan, to tell her the deed was done.
Upon arriving at the scene, he froze.
"What happened?" Asked Rook, surveying the three dead.
"Nothing that a kid can't handle..." Morgan sighed.
"Are you alright?" He asked, stepping towards her.
"I'm...fine." Morgan shrugged. "I killed a few people and they never exploded, but that's okay, I guess..."
I need more explosions.
"Your rifle does not fire explosive rounds." He said, as if pointing out the obvious, oblivious to Morgan's larger meaning. "Let us gather the fruits."
"I could modify it I guess..." Morgan mused, liking that idea very much. She jogged over to Rook after holstering the M40 and took his hand, happily latching on to his arm.
"Wouldn't that be amazing?"
Rook coiled his fingers around her hand. "It is not difficult. We would just need the proper materials." He explained as they walked.
"Indeed, incendiary rounds are hard to come by. However, there is a weapons factory not far from here. But our goal by the end of this is not more killing, Morgan. It is to find some where we can develop your project."
"Yes, I know..." Morgan smiled, looking up to Rook in admiration. "But...explosions will help protect our new home, wherever it may be..."
"I can protect it." Said Rook, wanting to feel adequate some how, not antiquated. If Morgan trusted mines more than him, then he was in trouble.
"I know you can, hun." She giggled, stopping him to look into his eyes. "You aren't jealous of a mine are you?" Again, she burst out laughing, finding it funny.
Rook did not.
"No." He said flatly, staring back at her. "But I have made many mistakes recently and I do not want to fail you again."
Morgans laugh ended on a sigh.
"Rook...you know I trust you more than anybody else right?"
"Yes, Morgan. But I led us into the Vault, got you sick from the spores, let Hamilton escape, and failed to protect you from the armoured assault vehicle. I also know you, Heather, and Garry hold me responsible. Those kinds of failures are very disconcerting. I could not even defend you now, a child had to do so. I have begun to feel like my usefulness is waning. I require some kind of affirmation that I am still functioning to capacity. That I am not... useless." They were all unpleasant feelings swimming around inside of him, but one was prominent.
Insecurity. Through all the recent trials, Rook had begun to doubt himself.
"You also keep me safe. If I hadn't have stayed up here, I would have been in far more danger down there with you." Morgan stepped forward, tightly embracing the Android.
"You're a quicker shot than any of us. You saved me from death several times..."
Rook didn't respond for a moment, before wrapping his arms around her.
"That sounds like an accurate statement." He agreed. "Let's go get the fruit."
"Yeah, the guy at the boat must be starving by now..." Morgan smiled, tightening her grip on Rooks hand.
They proceeded down into the settlement, eventually locating a grove of fruit.
"It must sustain life as a result of the G.E.C.K." Rook said as they neared.
"Which must be the cause of that stupid jungle as well." Morgan noted with a shudder. "I half expect this fruit to bite me."
Rook reached out and fearlessly plucked a tomato.
"No biting." He held it out to Morgan. "Eat. It is fresh. There is nothing like this in the Wasteland."
"O-okay..." Morgan said, a little unsure. She took a small nibble before her eyes widened and she gorged herself on the tomato.
"Sh-shit it's cold. So good!"
"I assumed so." Said Rook, going to pick more, as to collect them.
"That was...well...I can see why Raiders target this place so frequently..." Morgan gasped.
"It is a valuable target." Agreed Rook.
"Maybe we could live here, after this? We could protect this place." Morgan suggested, a sly grin on her face.
And have all the food to myself...
That did not appeal to Rook. He did not want to live out the rest of his days with Morgan slaughtering raiders.
"If that is what you wish."
"Well...what about you? Where would you like to stay Rook?"
"With you, somewhere safe."
"Well we don't necessarily have to stay i New York..." Morgan agreed. "And obviously, we'll avoid the Commonwealth like the plague. How about we go West?"
"I do not see why not."
Morgan smiled, retaking Rooks arm. "West it is then!"
Rook clasped his hand over Morgan's as they walked, headed in the direction of the ferryman's boat.
"How long do you think it will take to arrive at Governor's?" Asked Rook, making calculations.
"Dunno how long it'll take. A few hours I reckon..." Morgan smiled, though her eyes showed her fear.
"I heard it's better out west..." Garry grumbled, tugging an unidentified fruit from a tree, he'd never seen any of these fruits before so he just took what he could.
"But it gets hard as shit, the closer you get to the mainland."
Gabriel then came up right beside Morgan. He then sighed. "It's a scary experience when you almost think you are going to die." Gabriel said to her.
"Yeah but I choose not to think on it." Morgan said quietly, trying not to dampen the mood.
Gabriel walked forward to where Rook was and gave him a mean look. "Listen here, Rook, threaten me ever again and order me, you'll be sorry."
"Bother the White Coated One, Gabriel, I have more important things to focus on right now." Rook said brusquely, scanning the surrounding area for hostiles as they walked. Rook did not see the purpose in Gabriel constantly engaging him if the boy wanted to be left alone. It was very annoying.
"Can you two just...keep away from each other or something..." Morgan muttered.
"Or move away from me?" Garry added, shaking his head in frustration.
"My ears are startin' to ring, just to drown you out..."
"Aww, Rook, now you know how it feels, you getting frustrated?" Gabriel asked Rook. He then gave him another mean look.
"You are goading me. That will cease if I extract your tongue from your mouth." Rook said simply before stepping off, trying to find peace. He was five seconds for snapping the boy's neck.
"Oh, for fucks sake..." Morgan growled, detaching herself from Rook and walking off. "You both are as bad as one another!"
"Threatened me, bad choice..." Gabriel said. He ran towards Rook and ran Infront of him. "Do not threaten me, that is a order you stupid android." Gabriel ordered Rook.
"Fuck's sake! Will you shut the fuck up!?" Garry snapped, finding himself to be losing his patience at this point.
"Seriously, I've met fuckin' slaves that didn't bitch as much as you do!"
Rook glanced over at Garry, seemingly content to let the former slaver do the talking for him, before stepping around Gabe and continuing his walk.
Gabriel caught the chocolate bar and ate the whole thing. "Garry, how about you shut up..." Gabriel suggested. Gabriel then did a smirk.
Amazing retort, kid. Morgan thought, shaking her head.
"Because I ain't said shit! Which is the fuckin' opposite of you, who's never shut up for five seconds since you turned up!" The Wastelander pointed out before scowling and turning his attention back to the road.
"If you think that you can be this way at Governor think again!"
"Well, someone did not have his nap time, do you want a cookie to make yourself feel better?" Gabriel asked him jokingly. He then went up to Garry and smirked at him.
With Garry handling the Gabe-problem, Rook silently returned to Morgan's side. He remained quiet, realising he'd been a bad android. It was not like he could help it though. Rook did not like to be antagonized, and just because Gabe was miniature should not have given him immunity.
Morgan gently patted Rooks arm, soon enough hooking hers around his again. She rested her head just below his shoulder.
"I think Gabe needs some rest..." She whispered quietly.
"Someone's just sick of your fuckin' shit..." Garry hissed, glancing up to Rook.
"Y'know... If we were to have a vote, the majority of us would vote to leave you behind..."
Rook did not answer, having no information on human children's' sleeping requirements. He simply walked on, happy to have Morgan on his arm, leaning ever so slightly into her.
Morgan smiled, looking at Rook in the eyes. "I love you; you know?" She whispered quietly. "I'm...sorry for trying to run off..."
"It is okay. I understand why. I would let you, did it not bare so many problems." He looked back down at her. "I love you, too, Morgan." He said, trying to muster as much emotion into his voice as possible.
Morgans smile widened, she was trying her best to block out the bickering behind her. "S'ok. I'll just have to be...courageous!"
"It is impossible to be courageous without fear." Rook concurred.
"Garry, do you think you are so tough, talking to a kid like this, thinking you're the tough man and get to say whatever to me, a 13-year-old kid? Think you are so tough, that you made me cry, do you think you are so tough, well you're not, and I want you to remember the day you made a kid cry, remember that." Gabriel said. He then spit on Garry' face and walked off.
Garry's eyes narrowed as he clenched his fist, realising that it was about time that they stopped coddling the little shit and taught him respect, the hard way.
His Father wouldn't have tolerated this, he would've been worse than bottled and so Garry had no problem implementing discipline.
He marched over to the child, without a moment's hesitation and grabbed his shoulder, forcing him to turn around and look him in the face. The Wastelander then backhanded the child's left cheek, with a 'clap' that could be heard at the back of the ranks and enough force to knock the boy over.
With that, Garry shoved him to the ground, not giving a damn about how he landed before scowling and walking off.
"You fuckin' come near me and I'll use a bottle next time!"
"Christ..." Morgan gasped.
Wait 'til I tell Heather...
She rushed over to Gabe's side and knelt next to him. "C'mon kid, let's get you up on your feet."
"Next time you spit at me, it'll be a mouthful of blood..." The Wastelander grumbled, finding himself to be done with babysitting for now.
"Stay with Morgan and the fuck away from me..."
Rook just found himself watching the three squabble with interest. He eventually jumped back to reality and shuffled over to Morgan's side, unsure to do with himself. This interpersonal group stuff really wasn't his thing.
Gabriel then started to tear up and walked off.
"I'm done with you people..." Gabriel said.
He started to sigh and cry really loud.
Morgan sighed. "Really, what the fuck Garry. This world is shit enough without you beating up kids for fuck sake." She grumbled to herself and knelt in front of Gabe.
"C'mon, I'm a doctor. Let's get you back to the ship and patched up, alright?"
"Morgan, just go, I'm done." He would then look at Garry.
"YOUR AN IDIOT GARRY!" Gabriel shouted. Gabriel then kept on walking.
Rook would have preferred to just incapacitate the child and carry him back to the ship. This kid was eating up both valuable mission and Morgan time. The boy contributed nothing and was going to be a hazard in live fire situations or during stealth operations. Not to mention that Gabe was weak, easily emotionally compromised, and did not mesh will with other team members.
"Kid c'mon! I can't let you go with a busted-up face! It could infect! Kill you!" She sighed, running a hand through her hair.
"May I detain him?" Rook asked Morgan. "We do not have time for this charade."
Morgan glanced back at Rook. "This ain't a charade, let me try!"
"Don't go, just because Garry is an utter wank stain…"
Rook approached Gabe, hooked an arm around the boy's tiny chest, and hefted him like one would carry a football under his arm.
"I have the boy. Let's go."
"This is for your own safety kid." Morgan sighed, looking rather displeased with how this turned out.
Gabriel then tried to struggle against Rook. "Let go of me, let me leave!" Gabriel shouted. He did all his strength to get away from the group.
Rook did not even seem to notice Gabe's struggle. The 35 kg boy did little in the way of damage to the 135 kg machine.
Gabriel's nose was bleeding very badly too. Gabriel started to cry and struggle out, and then started to kick his feet in the air, trying to despertly get out.
Rook still did not budge.
"Stop attempting, Gabriel, it is futile."
Garry said nothing and just followed them, resting his shotgun on his shoulder as he followed them out.
He had hoped that the little shit had learned respect from this or at the very least, not to fuck with the wrong guy.
"I trusted you, I was almost going to call you my mom, but you are doing this. I hate you, I hate you..." Gabriel whispered. Gabriel then notice he had his pocket knife. He slowly got it out and tried to cut Rook's arm.
The metal sliced into Rook's flesh, easily cutting an inch in and drawing blood. Regardless, it was barely a scratch to what Rook usually received in fights. The android glanced down and, with his free hand, relieved Gabriel of his weapon.
"Don't do that." He reprimanded.
Gabriel started to cry even more. "Shut up!" Gabriel shouted.
"Can't we just throw the little fucker into the harbour? I'm getting sick to the back teeth of playing house!" Garry snapped, growing frustrated.
"You do not get to say anything Garry!" Morgan snapped. "Go fuck off back to the boat ahead of us if you are getting so annoyed. Go tell Heather you smacked the shit out a kid!" She sighed and returned to give her attention to Gabriel.
"I just need to fix your injuries, kid. I can't if you struggle..."
Gabriel started to kick again, and let out a loud cry.
"I don't care! I don't want to be with you crazy people! Insulting me, hurting me, threatening me, lying to me, I don't need you guys! This is why I hate people, once I gain their trust, they do something like this." Gabriel said.
"See, that's what I'm saying. I'll heal you, then you can go away if you still want to. Though it would hurt me to see you go..." Morgan admitted. "I won't be coming back for a long time."
"I trusted you, and you're doing this!" Gabriel stopped talking and let out loud screams.
"I'm doing this for your own good!" Morgan shouted over the screaming. "Please, calm down…"
"You did this against my own will! You all hurt me, physically and mentally, yet I stayed, and now you're doing this, it's not for my own good!" Gabriel shouted at Morgan. His face got red, and he started to hit Rook's arm.
"Be a man and let me patch you up." Morgan said, keeping her voice soft and friendly. "Then you can go..."
Gabriel then started to walk off. "I'm not going anywhere with you guys!" Gabriel shouted and ran off.
"Thank fuck for that..." Garry uttered under his breath, he hadn't been this pissed off with someone he couldn't kill since... well, for a long time.
"Okay..." Morgan sighed, falling back to sit down. She hugged her knees, watching Gabriel run off.
"Sorry kid..."
However, they quickly noticed that Gabriel was hardly firm on his feet. Either the blow to the head or the stress of the situation made him collapse, a few feet away from them…
"Oh...he fainted anyways..." Morgan said quietly. "C'mon, Rook. Let's get him back before he awakens."
Rook, first, took Gabe's pistol and bent the barrel at a 90* angle, before dropping the broken gun in the dirt. He was sick of the kid using the gun on him. He then threw the unconscious boy over his shoulder and re-joined Morgan to head back to the boat.
Morgan looked at Rooks arm with a sad gaze. "I'm sorry..." She whispered. "We shoulda taken his gun long ago..."
"It is nothing." Rook said. "I have sustained worse."
"Having a gun pointed at you is traumatic, Rook…"
Morgan said softly. "It is pretty serious. Let's get back, ASAP."